Security in Mbale City intercepted a panga-wielding suspect after he allegedly missed a traffic police officer’s head at a checkpoint on Mbale-Tirinyi highway last evening.
The DPC Industrial City Division, Mr Denis Pahani, said Sgt Grace Ilumu, the in-charge Industrial City Division Central Police Station, was saved by the timely intervention of her two colleagues who fought the attacker and disarmed him. The incident happened at around 5pm.
There were reports last evening that Sgt Ilumba’s heroes sustained minor injuries. However, by press time, couldn’t independently verify the claims.
Witnesses confirmed the attack on police officers at Sino Uganda Mbale industrial Park police Checkpoint in Doko Ward.
They claimed that two assailants riding on a motorcycle approached the three police officers and one of the suspects jumped off the motorcycle and swung a machete at one of the police officers.
The second suspect sped off towards Mbale City side. The attack happened at about 5km from Mbale City.
The Elgon Regional Police spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika, said the suspect is a resident of Doko Central Cell in Mbale City.
He said the suspect has been detained at Mbale Industrial City Division Central Police Station as investigations continue.
Police say the motive of the suspect remains unknown.
Mr Taitika said: “We thank the residents for helping us arrest the suspect.”
The attack on traffic officers in Mbale comes just a day after machete-wielding thugs attacked and killed a police officer in Luweero and injured another. The suspects are still at large even as a joint security forces comb neighbourhoods in and outside Luweero Town. Meanwhile, the road users on the Luweero section of the busy Kampala-Gulu highway noticed the sudden withdraw of the traffic police at Kangada swamp after the attack.
The Luweero District Police Commander, Mr Living Twezagye, told the media that the checkpoint was by yesterday still treated as a crime scene.
However, no physical security deployments were visible at the alleged crime scene. Residents were seen moving and checking the alleged crime scene by yesterday afternoon without any security deployment. No arrests have been done.
Luweero RDC Mr Richard Bwabye who heads the security revealed that while no arrests had been made by Tuesday.
